


my heart could still fall as hard

by otherinfinities



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Kid Fic, M/M, Marriage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-07
Updated: 2014-07-07
Packaged: 2018-02-07 21:58:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1915326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/otherinfinities/pseuds/otherinfinities
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I don’t know. We’ve had a good run, maybe its best to quit while we’re ahead,” Louis teases. </p><p>Harry wraps his arms around Louis’ chest and pulls him suffocatingly close to his own. “Never gonna quit, Lou. I’m gonna marry you so hard and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”</p><p>“I wouldn’t dare,” Louis breaths, and it sounds a lot like relief. </p><p>(After twelve years and two kids, Harry and Louis get married.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	my heart could still fall as hard

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pinkyerim](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinkyerim/gifts).



> For redmarvels who wanted a wedding.  
> I hope you like it!  
> Thank you to my friend Niki who proofread this. Unfortunately she is neither on tumblr not a 1D fan

It wasn’t the shouting of excited little voices that wakes him up, not at first. Though it did succeed in waking Harry. No, Louis is woken very suddenly and not all that pleasantly by an overeager seven year old jumping on his leg.

“Dads, wake up! Today’s the day!” Jake shouts, bouncing up and down on the end of the bed. Louis just grunts and rolls over, hoping to hold onto a few more moments of sleep.

“Jake, what did I say about jumping on the bed?” he hears Harry say softly to their son as he lifts him off the bed and places him on the floor.

“But Papa I’m excited!” Jake exclaims.

“I know, bud, me too. Let’s go make some breakfast,” Harry says taking Jake by the hand and leading him out of the bedroom.

Louis enjoys the silence and rest before the very crazy day ahead of them, but his peace doesn’t last very long. He feels a very tiny weight climbing into the bed and an even tinier hand pat his cheek.

“Daddy,” a voice whispers. Louis peeks one eye open to see his daughter Emily looking at him expectantly with her wide blue eyes. He shuts his eye immediately but Emily lifts it back open with a tiny finger.

“Daddy,” she says again. This time Louis doesn’t open his eyes but instead pulls the small girl into his chest and cuddles her closely. “Daddy!” she giggles.

“Good morning, Boo,” he murmurs and places a kiss in her hair.

“Daddy, wake up! Wedding!”

Louis, figuring he’s pushed his luck trying for more sleep, sits up and pulls the three year old into his lap.

“Yes, Boo, wedding,” he responds. It’s crazy that today is their wedding. After twelve years and two kids, he and Harry are getting married.

“Let’s go find Papa and Jake and get some brekky.” He lifts Emily into his arms and makes his way downstairs to the kitchen where Harry and Jake are very messily making waffles.

“There are my princesses!” Harry shouts as they enter, making Emily squeal in delight and Louis wrinkle his nose. He walks over and kisses Emily on the cheek and then Louis squarely on the mouth, which earns a loud groan from Jake. The two men just smile. No matter how many times they try to tell their son its good his fathers love each other as much as they do, Jake still won’t have it.

“You know I’m going to kiss Daddy today up on the altar, right?” Harry asks amused.

“With everyone watching,” Louis adds just to tease him.

“I’ll shut my eyes,” Jake announces throwing flour covered hands over his face.

“Well that won’t do,” Louis announces. He marches over to his son and tries prying the little boy’s hands off his face and planting a big kiss on his cheeks. Jake puts up a fight but ends up laughing so hard he has to give in.

“Alright, alright, boys!” Harry shouts over the giggling. He successfully settles the clan down and sets them back on track to make breakfast. He takes over at the waffle iron and puts Louis in charge of cutting up the fruit, Jake sets the table, and Emily sits on the counter next to Louis laughing at all the funny faces he pulls.

Harry’s glad they’ve gotten the breakfast routine somewhat settled. He can remember days when Jake was younger and Emily was just a baby and the prospect of getting anything done in the morning was a nightmare. Jake would make it his mission to get whatever food Harry was making all over himself before he could even eat it. Mornings were spent washing pancake batter from his hair or cleaning mashed strawberries off his shirt. Louis used to find it hilarious, until Harry made him exclusively in charge of washing their son. Then he became even more disapproving than Harry. Luckily, he grew out of that quickly and has, instead, plastered himself to his Papa’s side and become the most helpful assistant Harry could ask for.

When the waffles are done, Harry hands the plate to Jake to put on the table, Louis brings the cut up fruit, and Harry grabs Emily, whose lips are now stained pink from the raspberries Louis has been sneaking her, and sets her in her high chair.

“Dig in, Tomlinsons!” Louis announces with a wink in Harry’s direction that says almost.

The decision to give their children Louis’ last name had been, in Harry’s opinion, a no-brainer. Louis had quite liked the posh sound of _the Styles_ _children_ but Harry had been firm. If he couldn’t be a Tomlinson, his kids sure as hell would fill that gap. Harry never corrected anyone who mistakenly called him “Mr. Tomlinson” which Louis suspected was part of the appeal of branding their children with the last name. When Jake joined the tiny tots football team, Harry insisted he get a matching Tomlinson jersey to wear to all the games because it was important he represent Team Tommo. He bought monogrammed towels with a large script T framed by a smaller H and L. The silver paper airplane necklace Louis had given him for one of their first anniversaries now sat next to a small silver T charm. It would make Louis laugh, how ridiculous his boy would be. He was tied to Louis in every way except marriage and still he managed to circumvent that detail.

Louis looks around the breakfast table, at Emily who is sucking raspberries off her fingertips, at Jake who is telling a story with a mouthful of waffle, and, finally, at Harry who is listening to their son with genuine interest although Louis is sure he doesn’t understand half of what he’s talking about. Louis smiles fondly at his beautiful little family. It’s surreal, he thinks, that today, after twelve years, he finally seals the deal.

Louis had been twenty-eight and a successful restaurant manager when he and Harry decided they were stable enough to start a family. Of course, Harry had been pushing for kids for years before then but with Louis’ long hours at the restaurant and Harry just getting his and Liam’s photography business off the ground, he knew it was best to wait. Unfortunately, Harry’s desire for kids only grew stronger as his portrait studio specialized in newborn and family photos. He couldn’t help but coo at the babies as he captured pictures of them peacefully nestled in their parents’ arms. He’d come home and tell Louis all about the babies he held that day or recount meaningless conversations he had with toddlers.

It all came to a head one day when Harry had convinced Louis to come to a shoot on his day off. He used his big puppy dog eyes and pouty lips, which he then wrapped around Louis’ cock, to beg him to play photographer’s assistant for the day. Despite his plans to lounge around the house and watch Friends reruns, Louis found himself sweating it out in Hyde Park as Harry photographed a family of five and their dog. It was nice seeing his boyfriend in action, watching the way he would lay in the grass or hop up on a bench to get the perfect angle. What really struck Louis, though, was how Harry lit up when he worked with the children. He was so gentle as he’d position the family’s four-year old daughter between her two older brothers. He’d make funny faces and tell silly jokes to make the kids laugh candidly. Louis couldn’t help but find himself enamoured, imagining how lovely Harry would look playing with their children on a nice outing to the park.

It was when the boys got restless and Harry called Louis for help that it finally clicked with him. Louis distracted them with talk of footie and eventually started a game of tag with them to expel some of their energy.

“You’re it,” Louis yelled, patting both boys firmly on the shoulder and running off. They followed suit in a flurry of limbs and giggles. When they finally caught up and tackled him Louis collapsed to the ground in a heap of laughter. At that moment he heard the shutter click and looked up to see Harry above him with the camera.

“You’re good with them, Lou,” he said with a smile and it hit Louis.

He could do this, he could be a father, could be responsible for other human beings and give them love and attention. What had been stopping him from having kids with Harry wasn’t “financial stability” because even if they were struggling he knew they would somehow make it work. Under the guise of financial stability had really been fear, fear of letting Harry and their future children down. There had never been any doubt that Harry would make a wonderful father but Louis wasn’t so sure about himself. Hell, he was twenty-eight years old and still struggled at times to take care of himself. How could Harry trust him with their child? Staring up at Harry and distantly hearing the boys calling his name to continue the game, Louis knew none of his fears really mattered. He and Harry would make it work.

In bed that night Louis turned to Harry and said, “Let’s start a family.” And so that week was spent discussing options and researching and calling their families to share the important news. Three weeks later the couple found themselves headed to a children’s home outside of London.

They planned on adopting a baby. Harry was discussing the very prospect with Mrs. Walsh, the head of the children’s home, when Louis started to feel a bit overwhelmed and slipped out under the pretense of finding the bathroom. He wandered the halls for a bit before he settled in front of a window, looking at the children playing in the garden. He wasn’t paying attention when a football hit him in the shin, followed shortly after by the toddler who kicked it. The small boy fell to the ground with a quiet oof. Louis looked down at the boy. His wide brown eyes look stunned and for a moment Louis was afraid he was going to cry.

“Hey, Bud,” he said gently, lifting the boy to his feet. He stepped a few feet away and kicked the ball softly back to him. “Here you go.”

The boy looked down at the ball then back up at larger man standing in front of him before picking up the ball in his tiny hands and running to place it at Louis’ feet again. He looked at Louis expectantly until Louis got the hint to kick the ball back to him. The boy squealed delightedly and picked the ball up again and brought it back to Louis.

“You kick it,” Louis told him, placing the ball in front of his tiny feet and mimicking a kick. The boy toddled after the ball for a bit before he tripped and fell to the ground again.

“Shit,” Louis cursed to himself.

He ran over to the boy and lifted him up, again fearing the toddler would burst into tears. He didn’t though. Instead he looked up at Louis, eyes wide with wonder, and grabbed his hand. Louis was shocked as the small fingers wrapped around his own and his heart clenched tightly in his chest.

Harry found them not too long after, hand in hand and kicking the football down the hall.

“I see you’ve met Jake,” Mrs. Walsh said.

“Hi Jake,” Harry cooed, “I’m Harry and this is Louis.”

Jake looked up at Louis as if asking whether or not Harry is okay. Louis nodded in encouragement. Jake turned back to Harry, placed a fist in his hair, and tugged roughly on his curls with a wild laugh. From then it was pretty much decided.

Jake was nearly two years old when he was adopted into the Tomlinson family.

Two years later, Harry found himself with baby fever all over again, and he and Louis welcomed baby Emily into their family, adopted straight from the hospital.

~

Louis is brought back to the present when a raspberry hits him wetly on the neck and a peal of laughter rings through the air. He looks to Emily who looks delighted by her impeccable aim.

“Daddy, Uncle Niall and Uncle Zayn took bets for who will cry first today,” Jake says once he’s swallowed his food.

“Oh yeah?” Louis snorts. He has a feeling Jake isn’t meant to share this particular piece of information, but he’s curious to hear more.

“Uncle Ni says it’s gonna be Papa.”

“Heeeey,” Harry whines from his end of the table.

“But Uncle Zayn says you’re a big softie, Daddy. He thinks it’ll be you.”

“Don’t cry, Daddy,” Emily whispers gently, reaching her hand out towards Louis. Her hand is sticky with syrup and fruit juice but Louis splays his palm on the table for her to place it in anyway and squeezes tight.

“It’s good crying, Boo,” Harry explains, “Because Daddy is so happy. He’s happy to have you and your brother and to finally be putting a proper ring on this finger.” Harry’s got a wicked smile as he waves his left hand. On his ring finger sits a black band, a promise ring of sorts, that Louis had given him many years ago, before Emily and Jake, when same-sex marriage still wasn’t legal but they had decided to commit to one another in every way anyway.

“There will be no crying,” Louis insists, “Unless its from your Papa who will be bawling because he’s so lucky to be marrying me.”

“That’s true,” the other man murmurs with a slow smile, hooking his ankle around Louis’ under the table.

There’s still so much to do, make last-minute approvals for the florist, confirm the number of guests with the venue. Zayn should be here any minute to drop off their tuxedos and pick up the kids to bring them to the venue. Despite all that and the exciting prospect of getting married in a few hours, Louis would really just like to freeze time right here, with his family gathered around the breakfast table. He’d sit here all day watching the way Jake is shifting in his seat, ready to burst with energy, and how Emily sings nonsensical tunes to herself, and the way Harry is soft and languid in his movements and sleepy smiles. He’d sit and study them as if he hadn’t already memorized each of these things.

The doorbell rings and the calm spell over the Tomlinsons is broken. Jake takes off towards the door and rips it open with an excited cry, “Uncle Zayn!” Emily starts to bounce around in her highchair in an effort to make it to the door as well and Louis has to grab her before she knocks herself over. When Zayn walks into the kitchen, the little girl makes grabby hands toward him and within seconds she’s in his arms.

“Congratulations, bro,” Zayn says, patting Louis on the back with his free hand.

Harry, who had disappeared from the kitchen, reenters holding two garment bags eyes set like he’s just launched into efficiency mode.

“Thanks so much for this, Zayn,” he says, handing over the bags filled with the kids clothes. “This is everything for them. Don’t let Louise put makeup on Emily and for God’s sake, don’t let your husband roughhouse with Jake, he’ll dirty his clothes.”

“Who? Jake or Niall?” Zayn laughs. Niall really is a kid at heart.

“Now, Daddy,” he says, turning to Louis, “go get showered. You’re dirty.”

“Please, Harry, not in front of the kids,” Louis warned coyly.

He turns back and crouches down to talk to Jake and Emily. “Goodbye, lovelies. Be good for your Uncle Zayn and the others. We’ll see you soon, okay?” He places a kiss on each of their foreheads and on Zayn’s for good measure before he heads upstairs to get ready himself. As he leaves he hears Zayn’s shout, “Let’s go Team Tommo!” and his children’s delighted cheers.

~

He’s barely through shampooing his hair when Harry slips into the shower behind him.

“Hey, husband,” he mouths against the back of Louis’ neck.

“Woah there, Harold, don’t get ahead of yourself. I’ve still got a few hours to think better of this.”

“You won’t,” Harry assures.

“I don’t know. We’ve had a good run, maybe its best to quit while we’re ahead,” Louis teases.

Harry wraps his arms around Louis’ chest and pulls him suffocatingly close to his own. “Never gonna quit, Lou. I’m gonna marry you so hard and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”

“I wouldn’t dare,” Louis breaths, and it sounds a lot like relief.

The couple had met on Harry’s first day at university. Harry had been a charming freshman and Louis had been the loud shit of a junior who had somehow managed to land a spot on the freshman welcome committee.

“Do you need help with your boxes?” was the first thing Louis ever said to Harry. He noticed the curly-headed boy and was instantly interested. Strictly speaking, his job was to sit the information table and offer help to anyone who asked but he had gotten bored and saw a pretty boy and decided he’d rather help him.

“Oops,” Harry said as he turned and hit the other boy squarely in the chest with a box.

“Hi,” Louis responded in stride. “I’m Louis, here to help with all your move-in needs!”

Louis helped Harry unload his boxes, he shook Mr. and Mrs. Styles’ hands and lingered longer than he should have. Eventually he invited Harry to a party some upperclassman was throwing. When Harry agreed to come, Louis felt an unfamiliar giddiness spark in his bones. He tried to explain it to Harry years later, that it was as if his body knew this new boy was special before his mind could even process it.

Louis feels ghosts of that feeling now, as he’s sat on his bed watching his soon-to-be husband shake out his wet hair and wrap a towel around his waist. Giddiness sizzles in his bones but now its much softer, more reassuring.

“Come here,” Louis murmurs.

Harry settles himself on Louis’ lap with a knee on either side of his hips. For a while they just stare at one another. Louis’ hands roam the other man’s back and torso and Harry gently brushes his fingertips along the Louis’ cheekbones and jawline. For the first time that day, the two kiss.

“I love you lots, y’know,” Louis whispers.

“I had an idea,” his fiance smiles and moves to kiss his lips more firmly. His tongue brushes past that and deepens the kiss as Harry pushes Louis to lay back on the bed.

“M’serious,” Louis says, breaking his mouth away. “I don’t need a piece of paper from city hall or a ring on my finger. I just need you and the kids, always. You’re the best thing to ever happen to me, Harry. And I don’t know how I got so lucky, but I plan on spending the rest of my life trying to be even half of what you deserve.”

Harry’s eyes are glassy with tears just mere words into Louis’ little monologue (which confirms for Louis that Niall will definitely winning the bet). “Lou,” he chokes and buries his face in the warm place between Louis’ neck and shoulder.

“Alright, that’s all you’re getting out of me. I’ve saved the real tear-jerking stuff for the vows,” Louis laughs, picking Harry’s head up and kissing him all over his face. “C’mon, love, lets have wild pre-marriage sex.”

“Louis, you minx!” Harry shouts and quickly drops their towels to the floor.

Later, when Harry is standing half dressed in front of the mirror complaining about his messy hair, Louis shuffles behind, fully dressed, and presses himself up against him.

“You look perfect.”

“No need to flatter me. I’m a sure thing,” Harry says.

“Yeah, you are,” Louis smiles.

A car picks them up to bring them to the venue and they spend the whole ride with their hands interlocked, whispering secrets into each other’s ears.

_I’ve been waiting for this for longer than you know._

_You’re my favorite person in the whole world._

_It was me who finished the cookies, not Jake._ (Louis gets a slap for that one.)

When they get out of the door a camera flashes immediately as Liam photographs their arrival. Louis pretends to be a celebrity faced with paparazzi which has its desired effect and leaves Harry in fits of giggles. Liam takes one more serious photo before patting each of them on the back with a “Congratulations” and sends them inside.

Harry had been distressed over the photographer situation when they were first planning the wedding. It was only Harry and Liam at the studio and Harry couldn’t very well photograph his own wedding, but it seemed unfair to make Liam work the event. In the end, Liam assured them he would be honored to do it and he wouldn’t let Harry stress any longer.

Inside the hotel, the couple greets their mothers and are immediately pulled into teary embraces. The women fuss and coo and say over and over how happy and proud they are of their boys. By the time they are able to slip away, they’ve got lipstick smudges all over their cheeks.

Harry goes to find Gemma, who had been taking care of the last minute details, and Louis seeks out the boys. When he finds them in one of the conference rooms, Niall has already popped the champagne.

“There he is!” he shouts, Irish accent thick as ever.

Zayn is at his side, making sure he doesn’t spill anything on his white shirt and Liam is furtively taking pictures of everyone. Louis’ childhood friend Stan is there as well, along with Harry’s friend Jonny. They each wrap Louis in a hug and offer their congratulations.

“It’s about damn time,” Niall hollers, and doesn’t Louis know it.

When they had announced their engagement to their family and friends, the reaction was more or less that. It had been understood, their delay, when same-sex marriage was still an issue. Ever since it had been legalized, no one could see any reason why they shouldn’t get married. They had discussed it, extensively, and expressed it was something they both wanted. But, it was easy to put it on hold because of the kids or their demanding jobs and then years had gone by and it still hadn’t happened. They were fine with that. They both agreed marriage didn’t make anything more permanent, they were already as sure as they could get. Marriage was just a piece of paper and a party.

It was Jake, actually, that finally pushed them to get married. He brought it up at dinner one night.

“Daddy, how come you and Papa don’t get married?” he asked.

Louis was stunned. Despite his mother and his best mates asking the same question for years, it suddenly clicked coming from his son. Trust a six-year-old to ask the tough questions.

“Ms. Katie is getting married and she says you get to have a big party with cake,” Jake continued. He turned to Harry. “Papa, don’t you want to have a big party with cake?”

Harry quickly launched into an explanation that not being married didn’t mean his dads loved each other any less, that a party didn’t make it any more official. Louis, for his part, remained mostly silent beside the occasional platitudes of agreement.

“Maybe we should,” Louis mused later that night in bed.

Harry put his book down. “Should what?”

“Get married,” he explained. “It might be good for Emily and Jake to see their fathers get married.”

“Yeah, alright.” Harry agreed.

“Alright? Harry, I’m not proposing to you right now,” Louis said indignantly.

“Aren’t you?”

“Certainly not, Harold. If I were proposing to you, you’d know it.”

Two weeks later, Louis proposed and Harry knew it. He reserved the patio of his restaurant and decorated it with candles and flowers. He set up a single table to the side, leaving the middle open for a dance floor. He wined and dined him and even got Niall to play guitar and sing for them. While they were dancing beneath the stars to an Ed Sheeran song about being in love and growing old, Louis looked into Harry’s eyes and whispered, “Marry me.”

“Alright,” Harry agreed.

~

Louis is halfway through his glass of champagne when Harry slips into the room and the lads erupts in cheers again. He makes his rounds of hugs and congratulations and Niall fist bumps him enthusiastically and says, “Way to seal the deal, killer.”

“Remember that time,” Zayn pipes up, “back in uni, when these two were so drunk and almost eloped in Las Vegas?”

Niall laughs raucously. “But, Niall, _we are in loooove_ ,” he mocks.

“They nearly booked the plane tickets before we stopped them,” Liam adds.

“Don’t know why we did,” Niall says. “We could’ve sped this whole thing up.”

“Nah, we still had a lot to learn then,” Louis says, putting an arm around Harry’s shoulders. He thinks about the year following that incident, when they spent eight months on a “break”. When Louis was fresh out of university and thought he wanted to be young and single with no responsibilities. He had been so wrong. It took one failed attempt at a hook-up for Louis to realize that and months of pitiful wallowing to admit it. Eventually, Zayn kicked him off his couch and made him go win his boy back.

Harry had taken him back, of course. Louis was so happy and relieved he could hardly remember why he thought it was a good idea to be separate from him in the first place. When he cried and apologized, and Harry wrapped him up in his arms, Louis knew he could never let his boy go again.

Harry knocks his hip against Louis’ and grips his side tighter, like he knows what he’s thinking. They’ve long since forgiven that mistake and they’re here now, aren’t they?

“Here’s to you, lads!” Niall calls, raising his glass in the air.

“Here, here,” Stan affirms.

They all clink glasses and drink and share more stories of Harry and Louis being insufferably in love.

~

A knock comes and a handful of Louis’ sisters peek their heads in.

“Almost ready,” Lottie says, entering the room and grabbing her own glass.

After her comes Emily, gripping onto the skirt of her dress. Just as Harry suspected, she’s got rouge on her cheeks and pink on her lips.

“Papa, look!” she calls, running to her father. “Pretty!”

Harry lifts her into his arms. “Yes, Boo, very pretty. But aren’t you a bit young?”

She shakes her head exaggeratedly. “Auntie Louise says I look like a princess.” There wasn’t much to argue about that.

It was true, though. Emily was growing up so fast. They cherished her years of infancy, the ones they missed out on with Jake. It was hard adjusting their sleeping patterns and balancing entertaining a four-year-old and caring for a new born, but each challenge had such an incredible reward. Every little battle won against Jake and his bed time, each extra hour Emily slept, it all felt like the greatest thing in the world. All those times in college and after when Harry and Louis swore it was them against the world couldn’t even compare to it. Suddenly it wasn’t the just the two of them, they were opening their hearts and learning to love so much deeper. Not just their kids, each other as well. They had to spend so much time on their family that each moment they were able to take for themselves was like a little paradise.

Louis feels like this might be paradise, too, getting to share this blissful day with not only family and friends and the love of his life, but with their children as well. He snuggles up to his fiance and daughter and revels in the last few moments before they take to the aisle.

As if he sensed he was missing out on a family cuddle, Jake comes running into the room and slotting himself between their legs. “Dads, grandmum says its time to go!”

~

The ceremony is held in the garden of the hotel. The whole space is filled with flowers and fairy lights, very reminiscent of the night Louis proposed. The aisle is a single white runner between the rows of white chairs and standing at the back, Louis is in awe. Not of the flowers or the decorations or the beautiful sun that blessed the day. He look in awe instead at Harry, whose green eyes are glowing among the flowers and the adoration. He’s got a single white flower tucked behind his ear that matches the one pinned to Louis’ lapel. His smile is wide and soft as he looks up from his conversation with Emily and makes eye contact with Louis. I love you, he mouths. I love you, Louis mouths back.

Its a marvel that this boy is his, that he gets to keep him, and raise children with him; that he gets to go home to him every night and make him laugh and, soon, call him husband. Louis is reminded of the day the bought their first house. The house had been nothing remarkable and way above their budget but they were so incredibly happy.

“Can I help you with your boxes?” Louis asked and Harry was startled back to the day they met.

They only unpacked the kitchen halfway before Harry declare it vitally important that they unpack the bedroom. Louis couldn’t think of a better plan and giggled as he suggested they “christen” the place.

Later, laying on the mattress covered in nothing but a single sheet, Harry whispered into Louis’ skin, “This is ours.”

It was theirs. It was the place they owned, true, but it was more than that. It was the place Louis would always come home to Harry.

They’ve since moved out of that house, in favor of a bigger one, in a nicer neighborhood, with a spacious yard for the kids and maybe, one day, a dog.

Louis sees that place now, though. This is theirs. Louis can feel it in the spark in his bones and the way his whole body is thrumming.

“I’ll see you up there.”

~

The music starts, a single violin line, and Louis and Jake are headed first down the aisle hand in hand. In Jake’s other hand is a stuffed dinosaur.

When they first asked Jake if he’d like to be their ring bearer he was excited. Although when they explained what he had to do he stated he’d much rather carry a dinosaur than a bear or a pillow. Harry and Louis were nothing if not indulgent to their children.

As they walk, their guests are fawning and taking pictures and Jake is eating it up more than Louis is.

When they get to the end of the aisle, Louis leaves Jake with his mum with a kiss on the head and goes to stand up on the right side of the altar.

Next, Harry and Emily walk. Emily is walking slightly ahead of Harry, throwing rose petals from her small white basket at his feet. When she’s almost to the end, she looks up, spots Louis at the altar and runs to him.

“Daddy!” She jumps and he catches her in his arms. Everyone laughs.

Harry catches up and takes Emily. With a kiss to each of her cheeks, he sits her down next to Jake, then takes his place next to Louis on the altar.  

They lock hands and look up at each other. This is theirs.

~

In the end, Niall won the bet. But Louis’ tears weren’t far behind.

~

“I now pronounce you Mr. and Mr. Tomlinson” is probably the most anticipated phrase of Harry’s life.

~

Louis is currently sitting by the corner of the dance floor watching Harry and Emily dance. Emily is bringing out the best of her ballet moves and Harry twirls right along side her. It’s reminiscent of the days when Emily first started lessons and insisted Harry practice with her in the living room. She made him wear a leotard and put his hair in a bun, and it’s probably some of the funniest pictures Louis has on his phone.

An Ed Sheeran song comes on next, the same one that was playing when Louis proposed.

“Could we have this dance?” Harry asks, standing in front of Louis with one hand holding Emily on his hip and the other extended to Louis.

When they’re making their way back to the dance floor they collect Jake from where he’s running around with Niall and Zayn’s son. The four of them dance close together, with Jake in Louis’ arms and Emily in Harry’s. Harry leans down and kisses his husband chastely.

“Husband,” he smiles.

“Husband,” Louis confirms.

And as they sway, Louis doesn’t wish for a universe alone with Harry. He’s happy to have his little family, and his loving friends, his parents, and everyone who is here tonight. He’s okay sharing because that at the end of the day Harry comes home to him. With everything they’ve gone through, twelve years and two kids, Louis still finds himself more and more in love every day.


End file.
